>>> "The LaBella Memo: Not Ready For
Prime Time?" The text of this March 15 Wall Street Journal op-ed piece by
the MRC's Brent Baker, adopted from a CyberAlert article, is now available
on the MRC Web site thanks to Webmaster Andy Szul. To read it, go to:http://www.mediaresearch.org/oped/news/wsj20000315.html
<<<

"Every
time there's a school shooting or a mass killing, President Clinton urges
passage of new gun control laws. And every time -- in order to deflect from
that carnage, say some observers -- you can count on the NRA to attack Mr.
Clinton." So asserted CBS's Jim Stewart in a one-sided CBS News
"Reality Check" Wednesday night discrediting the NRA's criticism
of Clinton. Stewart highlighted how Charlton Heston's TV ads led one NRA
member to quit, but ABC viewers learned from John Cochran that the NRA's new
aggressiveness is "driving up NRA membership to a record three-and-a-half
million."

Anchor Bob Schieffer opened the March 15 CBS Evening
News by uncritically relaying "fresh ammunition" from an FBI report
announced by Clinton at the White House about how the background check system
blocked 179,000 gun sales in two years, two-thirds of them convicted felons.
Schieffer ran several soundbites from Clinton as he explained that Clinton
said the numbers disprove gun control impeded the law-abiding, as only five
percent of the checks took longer than 24 hours, and Clinton tried to shame
the House GOP leadership for backing the NRA.

Schieffer then jumped to a pre-taped interview he had
with NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre, but instead on giving him an
uncritical platform as CBS gave Clinton, Schieffer pushed him repeatedly to
back off his criticisms of Clinton. After LaPierre maintained that he stands
by his Sunday comment that Clinton is "willing to accept a certain level
of killing to further his political agenda," an incredulous Schieffer
countered: "But Mr. LaPierre, President Clinton may be many things, but
do you really believe that when you say he's willing to accept a certain
level of killing to further his political agenda. I mean do you mean that
literally?"

When LaPierre wouldn't back down Schieffer pressed
again: "I want to make sure I understand this. You stand by those words
exactly as you spoke?"

Having dispensed with the NRA point of view CBS moved to
discredit it with a one-sided hit job from the left. Schieffer introduced the
next story: "These blunt and, in some cases, very personal attacks on the
President and other gun control advocates by the NRA has angered a lot of
people, including some of the NRA's own ranks. So whether the gun lobby's
charges are true or not, why would it say things that alienate so many people?
We have a CBS News Reality Check on that tonight from Jim Stewart."

Of course, if CBS News employed any conservatives they
might have suggested that the NRA story of the past few years is not its
hard-line but how it decided a few years ago to be more accommodationist so it
could become a player in negotiations over the enactment of gun control rules.
CBS News probably never heard of them, but there are pro-gun groups, such as
Gun Owners of America, which are much more hard-line than the NRA, groups
which unlike the NRA are unwilling to compromise on Second Amendment issues.
Stewart's story below should be a warning to all conservatives that no
matter how much you move left in order to appear more reasonable to the
liberal establishment you can never go far enough left to avoid their
condemnation.

Stewart began his diatribe, as transcribed by MRC
analyst Brad Wilmouth: "That's not just hot smoke and insults the NRA
is blowing at President Clinton. It's a tried and true political strategy.
Every time there's a school shooting or a mass killing, President Clinton
urges passage of new gun control laws. And every time -- in order to deflect
from that carnage, say some observers -- you can count on the NRA to attack
Mr. Clinton."

Stuart Rothenberg,
political analyst: "I think they're on the defensive on the issue.
They're on their heels because of the number of shootings, because of the talk
on Capitol Hill, because of the visibility on the issue."
Stewart dug up old
attacks: "The last time the NRA tried this was in 1995 when Mr. Clinton
backed efforts to expand the Brady background check on gun buyers. The NRA
responded with a fundraising letter calling federal agents 'jack-booted
government thugs,' a position they defended even after the Oklahoma City
bombing. Former President George Bush was so outraged he resigned from the
NRA. The most recent assaults, however, are far more personal, and, as in the
past, they twist and turn through the truth. For example, spokesman Charlton
Heston charges in one ad:
Heston in TV ad:
"Under Bill Clinton federal gun prosecutions are half, half of what they
used to be."
Stewart countered:
"But while technically true, Heston ignores a government finding that
state gun prosecutions increased sharply and federal cases against major gun
offenders have increased more than 25 percent. But it is the NRA's other major
claim, that the President, in effect, condones murder to advance his political
interests, that has stunned gun owners like Ernest Lisabett, who quit the NRA
over just such attacks."
Ernest Lisabett:
"That's crazy, the idea that the President of the United States condones
violence and killing in America is preposterous."
Stewart concluded:
"But it's likely not a coincidence. This is an election year, and every
time the NRA makes such attacks, say critics, its hard core members contribute
more money, which means the NRA can then give more to candidates who will vote
just like they want them to."

How awful, a group engaging in the political process in
order to protect the rights of like-minded citizens.

ABC's World News Tonight also led with the gun battle
as reporter John Cochran undermined one of LaPierre's points, but at least
also acknowledged how the NRA's new aggressiveness is gaining it support
among gun owners.

Cochran began: "The day began with the President
arguing against the conventional wisdom that gun control legislation is doomed
in this, an election year."
Clinton: "We all
still draw a check in election years, just like we do in nonelection years.
And we're all here. And these kids, they keep dying every day. They don't
know it's election year."
Cochran: "That
drew a hard-line response from the gun lobby, which not only rejected any
thought of compromise but escalated its attacks on the President in the most
personal way."
LaPierre: "The key
question here for the President is has he looked into the eyes of Ricky
Birdsong's family, because that blood is on his hands."
Cochran proceeded to
undercut LaPierre's point: "Ricky Birdsong was a former basketball
coach at Northwestern University. He was one of those shot and killed during a
rampage last summer by a man named Ben Smith. Smith had been turned away at a
gun store in Illinois because he had a criminal record. It was illegal for him
to try to buy a gun, but he was not arrested or prosecuted. He then bought a
gun from an unlicenced dealer, and a week later killed himself after shooting
another man and Ricky Birdsong."
LaPierre: "That
death is on the President's hands. If he had prosecuted, he would have
prevented the death."
Cochran gently rebuked:
"But what LaPierre did not know, or did not say, is that in Illinois, it
is the state and not the federal government which is responsible for
background checks. And federal agents say Illinois did not inform them about
Smith until six days after he killed Ricky Birdsong."
White House Press
Secretary Joe Lockhart: "What's clear is the NRA will do anything, say
anything to stop sensible gun safety legislation that'll save lives."

It would have been interesting to hear LaPierre's
response to Cochran's version of who prosecutes what in Illinois, but
Cochran didn't give him a chance.

Cochran then conveyed news which contradicted CBS's
theme that the NRA is alienating everyone: "But at NRA headquarters, the
gun lobby claims its attacks on the President have been wildly successful,
with hundreds of thousands of new members tying up computer and phone lines in
their rush to join, driving up NRA membership to a record three-and-a-half
million, and creating a rich war chest to use against candidates, mostly
Democrats, who favor gun control."

Cochran concluded: "Today, the NRA lobbied heavily
against a House resolution merely urging Congress to discuss gun control. But
the NRA suffered a surprising defeat, as 46 Republicans joined Democrats to
defeat the NRA. Some Republicans may have voted against the NRA today, feeling
it was safe to vote for talk that will not lead to action. But the White House
hopes the gun lobby's attacks on the President will boomerang -- and create
a groundswell of support for gun control."

If you are a
Republican Governor who wants to get some national TV air time in order to
raise your profile before your party's presidential nominee makes his VP
pick, what can you do to get a network anchor's attention? One way that
worked Wednesday: Announce your support for policies opposed by a group the
media hate, in this case the NRA.

Tom Brokaw opened Wednesday's NBC Nightly News by
promoting a new gun control initiative from New York Governor George Pataki:
"Good evening.
Guns and their place in America. This is quickly taking shape as one of the
major issues for election year 2000, and tonight there are several
developments. President Clinton stepped up his campaign against the NRA and
for gun control. He wants it this year, and a powerful Republican Governor
surprised almost everyone with his new gun control plan."

Pete Williams outlined Pataki's ideas, including
maintaining a database of ballistic tests on every gun manufactured, before
NBC ran an "In Their Own Words" segment from Democratic
Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy deriding the NRA.

Brokaw then introduced his admiring look at Pataki:
"And in New York, that sweeping gun control legislation from Republican
Governor George Pataki surprised almost everyone, especially since he's been
frequently mentioned as a possible vice presidential candidate on a George W.
Bush ticket. Today I was with the Governor when he made his
announcement."

Brokaw trumpeted: "For a Republican Governor,
Pataki's proposals are 'revolutionary,' as one gun control advocate put
it. Pataki prefers to call his plan 'common sense,' a natural extension of
other efforts to reduce crime in New York, where assault is down 21 percent
since 1995, robbery 35 percent, murder 44 percent. The Governor's plan puts
him at odds with many other Republicans and the NRA. What did Pataki think
when he heard the NRA claim President Clinton wants a certain level of
violence to further his political agenda?"
Pataki: "I don't think there's anyone who would
believe that someone in public office looks to violence as a possible
political benefit."
Brokaw at least mildly
challenged Pataki: "As you know, the NRA is opposed to the ballistic
testing because they say that it will lead to registration, that you'll know
where every gun is in America, and when you know where every gun is, it means
you can take'm all away."
Pataki: "If you
look at it from the standpoint of a gun owner, is this going to be an undue
burden? Is it going to in any way take away my right to own a gun, to use it
in sporting activity or to defend my family. The answer is no it will
not."
Brokaw: "Let me
ask you about raising the minimum age from 18 to 21. We ask eighteen-year-olds
to serve their country in the military. We give them the right to vote."
Pataki: "We tell
someone who's 19 or 20 that they have to be 21 to drink because drinking can
lead to dangerous activities. I think the most dangerous risk that a young
person faces, in addition to car violence, is handgun violence."
Brokaw noted how
conservatives might ruin Pataki's triumph: "In any discussion of George
W. Bush's vice presidential prospects, the name Governor Pataki ends up on
the list. If your name comes before the convention, can't you hear those
conservative Republicans saying, 'No way, he's a gun control guy'?"
The piece ended with
this from Pataki: "Oh sure, Tom. You know, that's, there's always
those who are going to oppose you for whatever reason. But what my obligation
as an elected official is is to advance what I think is right for the public,
and that's what I'm doing here."

CBS missed
another opportunity Wednesday to inform viewers of the Charles LaBella memo
and to add to their 19 seconds on March 2 about Maria Hsia's convictions, to
say nothing of George Bush's poke at Gore for his claim about inventing the
Internet.

Of the broadcast networks Wednesday night, only CBS ran
a story on George W. Bush's response to Al Gore's gimmick of sending an
e-mail to Bush demanding weekly debates and a moratorium on soft money. On the
March 15 CBS Evening News Bill Whitaker asserted that Bush went after Gore
"in the toughest terms yet" as Whitaker played a soundbite of Bush
saying he doesn't trust Gore on his soft money promise.

Whitaker then got to Bush's reply e-mail: "Today
Bush fired back this e-mail bullet: 'I hope you will encourage the White
House and the Department of Justice to release all records and photographs
relating to the investigation of fundraising abuses by you and your
administration.' He went on: 'What is even more important is the duty of
public officials to obey the existing laws and I'm afraid your record does
not inspire confidence.'"

Since Whitaker failed to explain it, most CBS viewers
had no idea what "records and photographs" referred to. The LaBella
memo which the weekday CBS Evening News has yet to mention, revealed the
existence of a photo showing Gore reviewing fundraising documents about how he
was to make calls for hard money. As noted in the March 13 CyberAlert,
Saturday's Evening News mentioned the LaBella memo but few ET or CT
affiliates carried the show because of college basketball.

Whitaker left out two other parts of Bush's e-mail.
Bush also wrote:
"In your note, you
did not mention the matter of compulsory union dues being used to support
political candidates -- a violation of worker rights. And I see that you did
not mention this today, when you spoke to the AFL-CIO. This would have been an
ideal setting to display your sudden interest in campaign finance reform, and
to demonstrate your own seriousness on the issue. Your silence was not
encouraging, because any campaign finance reform must be broad and fair."

Bush ended with this zinger: "Thank you for your
e-mail. This Internet of yours is a wonderful invention."

Al Gore
appeared Wednesday morning on ABC's Good Morning America and CBS's The
Early Show, and while hosts on both shows asked him about his fundraising
history, neither show took the opportunity to utter the names Maria Hsia or
Charles LaBella. Neither show has yet mentioned Hsia's March 2 conviction or
the March 10 Los Angeles Times story on LaBella's memo.

On ABC's Good Morning America co-host Charles Gibson,
MRC analyst Jessica Anderson noted, pressed Gore: "Mr. Vice President,
there will be, as there always is during campaigns, a debate about the debates
and how you interact with your Republican opponent. But let me take you up on
point number one, and I mean no disrespect here, but you only have to look at
the editorial pages in this country to see that a lot of people feel your
conversion to the case of campaign finance reform is ironic, even in some
cases laughable, given what happened in 1996."

Gibson followed up: "You said on Saturday, for
first time, you said, 'I made a mistake going to that Buddhist Temple. I made
a mistake making fundraising telephone calls from my office.' The question is,
why did it take you four years to say that?"
Gore maintained:
"Well, it didn't. I acknowledged the mistakes at the time. But you know,
22 years ago, I first proposed the, or I co-sponsored legislation to have full
public financing of federal elections, and over the last 20 years, Charlie,
I've sponsored or co-sponsored a dozen major campaign finance reform bills. I
mention that to show you, to tell you that it's not a new concern for me, but
I bring a new passion to it born of personal experience, just as John McCain
did...."

GMA then jumped to a taped interview with George Bush.
When that was completed Gibson gave Gore "a chance to respond to what
Governor Bush had to say since the Vice President is here live," an
opportunity in reverse that Bush didn't get because of his refusal to appear
live.

Over on CBS's The Early
Show MRC analyst Brian Boyd observed that co-host Jane Clayson didn't press
Gore with any specific facts, just wondering if the issue will "dog"
him: "I want to ask you Mr. Vice President about campaign finance reform
because you've been talking a lot about it in the last week or so. To quote
John McCain, he said quote we can beat Al Gore like a drum over the 1996
Buddhist temple fundraiser. Are you afraid that this issue is going to dog you
all the way to November?"

Clayson followed up: "You say you want to ban soft
money but your supporters including the President are out raising as much as
$50 to $60 million of what you need to raise coming into November. Is that
contradictory at all in anyway?"

Newsweek
offered just two paragraphs on revelations from Charles LaBella's memo to
Janet Reno demanding an independent counsel for Clinton and Gore on 1996
campaign cash. But Time and U.S. News & World Report ignored the story and
also suggested Buddhist Temple tactics
will hurt Bush, not Gore, the MRC's Tim Graham reported in the March 15
edition of MagazineWatch about the March 20 issues.

Here's the item about fundraising coverage:

Newsweek was the only news magazine to touch on top Justice Department
adviser Charles LaBella's leaked memo on the fundraising scandal. In their
two-paragraph story, they seemed more interested in political gamesmanship
than educating the public about new
details. They began: "The leak was perhaps more interesting for its
timing than its content....What seems curious is that the story appeared just
as the Bush vs. Gore race was getting started."

They acknowledged, "The L.A. Times report did have some new details.
LaBella accused senior Justice Department officials of using a double standard
that protected high White House officials. There is some new evidence,
testimony that Gore was "attentively listen[ing]"
to a fundraising discussion that he later could not recall. But the
speculation in Washington was over the source of the leak. Administration
officials saw a GOP plot to smear Gore...Republicans suspected score-settling
among rival staffers at the Justice Department. The only certainty is that the
voters will hear more about Gore's fundraising role in 1996 as the 2000
presidential campaign heats up."

Actually, the only certainty so far is that the media try hard to ignore
any evidence against Gore -- or downplay it as uncertain.

In U.S. News, Roger Simon suggested that the primaries proved any Buddhist
Temple tactics by Bush won't help: "Bradley raised the Buddhist temple
fundraising scandal and Gore's flip-flops on issues and made pointed attacks
on Gore's character. The result?

Gore not only won every primary but, in so doing, he became a sharper, more
focused, more user-friendly candidate, a man whom crowds actually seem to
like. Nobody is writing today that Gore is 'uncomfortable in his own
skin.' Today, people are writing that if
Bush doesn't watch out, Gore could skin him alive."

Time bigfoot Nancy Gibbs was much more discouraging, ending her story:
"Already last week Bush was trying to carve up Gore's character, charging
on Friday that he had misled federal investigators into the White House
fundraising practices of 1996. Bush's advisers believe that going on the
offensive against Gore will fix that stature gap, the sense, even among a
sizable minority of Republicans, that Bush simply doesn't have the know-how
to be President. 'The best way to demonstrate that he is the right guy for
the party is to get in a fight with Gore,' says a top Bush adviser. 'That
way you become the standard bearer. Fighting the enemy is the classic way you
fix that in a hurry.' It's also the classic way to get killed."

END Excerpt.

Other items in MagazineWatch:
-- U.S. News offered a report on the sentencing of convicted former Teamsters
political director Bill Hamilton, marking "a messy and ongoing saga that
has already caused political damage to the Democratic Party...just at the
moment when Big Labor is wielding the kind of clout it hasn't seen in 30
years."
-- Time whimsically compared Pat Buchanan to termites, and George W. Bush to
Darth Vader.
-- Newsweek's "Gay Today" cover package focused on "the
battle for tolerance" on the frontiers of "the family, the schools,
the military and the church" instead of the political arena, which
allowed them to avoid any mention of Al Gore or the word "liberal."
To read these items, go to:http://www.mediaresearch.org/news/magwatch/mag20000315.html

The
Washington Post is nurturing a whole new generation of reporters who are so
far to the left that they see liberals as centrists. If the Metro section
reporters of today are the national political reporters of tomorrow then Post
readers can look forward to years more of biased national political reporting,
at least judging by a sentence in a Metro story caught by the MRC's Tim
Graham.

A March 14 story by reporters R.H. Melton and Jamie
Stockwell on the launch of a campaign for Senate by Republican George Allen, a
former Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, contained this sentence about
Allen and incumbent Democrat Chuck Robb:
"The election
promises to be a classic ideological fight between Robb, a centrist Democrat
who helped bring his state party back to life by winning the governorship in
1981, and Allen, a more dynamic campaigner whose staunchly conservative agenda
sowed the seeds for the rebirth of the modern Virginia GOP."

Graham checked the Almanacs of American Politics to
compare Robb's actual vote ratings with the Post's claim.

Okay, so maybe not a Tom Harkin-like left-wing
ideologue, but clearly on the liberal side and hardly a "centrist
Democrat." --
Brent Baker

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